Learning Resources for students

Online Resources

• The Write Site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. There are modules on grammar, using sources and structuring assignments.

• The WRiSE (Writing a Report in Science and Engineering) site is an online learning environment designed to help you develop and improve your report writing skills in science and engineering.

• Help Yourself provides quick answers to the most common questions and problems for students, from first year undergraduates to PhD students. It also includes links to follow for more detailed information.

• The Clearer Writing site is an on-line interactive course to improve the clarity of your writing, with a particular focus on well-structured and coherent paragraphs.

Links to Other Sites

• Annotated links to Australian or overseas websites which not only inform, but try to instruct or teach academic writing skills. These sites can help you develop different aspects of the academic writing skills you need as a University of Sydney student.

Orientation Lecture Notes

These notes are for new first year undergraduate students.

• Strategies for Successful Learning
• Successful Essay Writing in Your First Year
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills
• Developing Critical Thinking Skills - PowerPoint Presentation from Lecture
• Collaborative Learning
• Successful Report Writing at University
• Lectures and How to Use Them
• Learning About Plagiarism
• Oral Presentations - PowerPoint Presentation from Lecture

Essay Writing

• Guidelines for Referencing
• Analysing an Essay Question
• Analytical Writing
• Developing and Supporting an Argument
• Planning and Structuring an Essay

Help with Report Writing in the Sciences

• How to Write a Laboratory Report
• Report writing in psychology
  http://www.psych.usyd.edu.au/teach/studentresources/writingguides/writingguides.html
• Writing a report in science and engineering (WRISE)
  http://learningcentre.usyd.edu.au/wrise/

Introduction to Reading in Biology

• This site is designed to assist you to develop the general and critical reading skills you need to help you with report writing.
  http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/learning/resources/biology_reading/

Study Skills

• Understanding Yourself
• Being a More Effective Learner
• Using Planners and Plans

Resources for Postgraduate Research Students Students

• Writing a Thesis Proposal

This document provides models and guidelines for writing a thesis proposal with particular emphasis on the introductory stage and the expression of aims, research questions or hypotheses.

Research and Information Skills

Visit the University of Sydney Library's "Research and Information Skills" website. The Library provides a range of programs and services to help you in your studies and research.